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Cue the tissues, because these Emmy moments hit right in the heart. We’re looking back at the most emotional, inspiring and heartbreaking wins, speeches and tributes from television’s biggest night. From tearful acceptance speeches to unforgettable surprises, these are the moments that left the audience on its feet and viewers reaching for the tissues.
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00:00She was my mom. She was, she was our mama. And by extension, she's all of our mama.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today, we're counting down our picks for the most emotional,
00:12inspiring, and heartbreaking moments from the Primetime and Daytime Emmy Awards.
00:17And the fact that you have thought that my work was worthy of notice 19 times
00:24is something that I will treasure always.
00:29Number 20. Glenn Weiss proposes to his girlfriend. 70th Primetime Emmy Awards.
00:36Winning an Emmy is usually the happy ending, but Glenn Weiss turned his 2018 victory into something
00:42far more personal. The person most proud at this moment would be my mom,
00:47and she passed away just two weeks ago. Part of my heart is broken. I don't think it will ever
00:54be
00:54repaired, but she's in me, and she always will be. After taking Outstanding Directing for a Variety
01:01special for the Oscars, Weiss spoke about his mother, who had died just two weeks earlier.
01:07Then he looked toward his girlfriend, Jan Svensson, calling her the sunshine in his life.
01:14You wonder why I don't like to call you my girlfriend?
01:23He invited her to the stage and revealed a ring that had been placed on his mother's finger by
01:28his father 67 years earlier. Weiss dropped to one knee, and Svensson said yes. The audience erupted
01:37into cheers and a standing ovation. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you, everybody.
01:42On that night, grief and new love shared one unforgettable moment.
01:48Number 19. Billy Porter Makes History. 71st Primetime Emmy Awards.
01:54The category is love, y'all. Love.
01:58I am so overwhelmed and I am so overjoyed to have lived long enough
02:03to see this day. Dressed like a walking disco ball with a hat that deserves its own dressing room,
02:09Billy Porter made Emmy history in 2019. His win for Pose marked the first time an openly gay man
02:16won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Porter stepped up to the microphone
02:22visibly overwhelmed, telling the audience he was overjoyed to have lived long enough to see the
02:27moment. It took many years of vomiting up all the filth that I had been taught.
02:33about myself and halfway believed before I could walk around this earth like I had the right to be
02:39here. Then, quoting the ballroom lingo the show celebrated, he joyfully announced the category.
02:45Porter thanked the people who helped him reach that stage and celebrated the possibility of being
02:51fully seen. For viewers familiar with ballroom culture, representation, and his decades-long career,
02:58it was a triumphant, tear-inducing release.
03:01We are the people. We as artists are the people that get to change the molecular structure of the
03:07hearts and minds of the people who live on this planet. Please don't ever stop doing that.
03:12Please don't ever stop telling the truth. I love you all.
03:14Number 18, Stephen Colbert's Late Show Emmy victory, 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
03:21And the Emmy goes to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!
03:30Two months after CBS announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end in 2026,
03:36the program won Outstanding Talk Series at the 2025 Emmys. Colbert received a huge standing ovation
03:43earlier that night, joking about whether anyone was hiring for his 200-person staff.
03:49While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?
03:53Because I got 200 very well-qualified candidates with me here tonight,
03:59who will be available in June.
04:01When the show won, the mood shifted from comedy to bittersweet.
04:05Colbert thanked CBS for letting the team join the late-night tradition,
04:09then praised the 200-plus professionals who made the show.
04:13I gotta thank these people, those people up there, the 200 incredible professionals.
04:19You are the pros from Dover, and I'm so proud to be one of you.
04:24He also remembered longtime assistant Amy Cole, who died from cancer in 2024.
04:30Reflecting on the show's original mission,
04:32Colbert recalled wanting a late-night program built around love and connection,
04:36all of which made the victory feel like a farewell.
04:40Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be
04:44losing it. And 10 years later, in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more
04:51desperately. God bless America!
04:54Number 17. Tributes to Catherine O'Hara and Rob Reiner
04:5878th Primetime Emmy Awards
05:01The 2026 Emmys in Memoriam segment turned into an especially emotional family affair
05:07when Catherine O'Hara's on-screen children gathered to remember her.
05:12Like a good mama, she always showed up when I asked her to.
05:17Because that was Catherine. That's what she did. She showed up.
05:21And this is the best that we can do for her tonight. We're showing up for her.
05:26Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy shared stories about the actress.
05:30With Culkin calling her mama and recalling how she always showed up for him.
05:36Then Murphy spoke about encountering strangers after O'Hara's passing,
05:41who wanted to tell her what the comedy icon's work meant to them.
05:44While buying wine at the LCVO, I was treated to a very lively Catherine mashup,
05:51which was a woman saying,
05:53Eww David, where's the baby?
05:57While doing what I can only assume was her,
06:01was Catherine's exquisite hobble from Best in Show.
06:05Levy, the co-creator of Schitt's Creek, also remembered the greatest lesson O'Hara taught him.
06:10Always say yes.
06:12Say yes to helping her build a TV character over the age of 60 that wears leather miniskirts and
06:18eight-inch heels and speaks in a strange, sometimes unintelligible transatlantic accent.
06:24Later, Jamie Lee Curtis fought back tears while honoring her friend Rob Reiner,
06:29praising his warmth, generosity and humanity.
06:32With Noah Kahn performing Bridge Over Troubled Water,
06:35the entire segment became one long emotional gut punch.
06:40He was generous and kind and funny as hell and a friend to all.
06:47We all miss Rob and Michelle and all those we lost this year.
06:54Number 16, Cheryl Lee Ralph sings her acceptance speech, 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.
07:00Okay, well, I am a little confused.
07:03Oh my God, you just opened it. Okay, here we go. And the Emmy goes to...
07:08Cheryl Lee Ralph.
07:11After decades of Broadway, television and film work,
07:16Cheryl Lee Ralph finally heard her name called at the 2022 Emmys.
07:20Her first ever nomination became her first ever win when she took Outstanding Supporting Actress
07:26in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary. Ralph paused, visibly overwhelmed,
07:30before singing part of Diane Reeve's Endangered Species a cappella.
07:35I am an endangered species,
07:44but I sing no victim song.
07:50The song gave voice to a career shaped by persistence,
07:54while her speech turned toward anyone who had ever been told their dream was impossible.
07:59Ralph credited creator Quinta Brunson, her husband, children, and supporters.
08:05And don't you ever, ever give up on you, because if you get a Quinta Brunson in your corner...
08:14The room rose to its feet as Ralph transformed an upset victory into a celebration of perseverance,
08:21artistry, and refusing to give up.
08:23Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
08:28Number 15. Jean Smart dedicates her win to her late husband. 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
08:36Before I say anything else, I have to...
08:39I have to acknowledge my late husband, Richard Gilliland, who passed away six months yesterday,
08:45and he... I would not be here without him.
08:49Grief has a way of showing up uninvited, even on the best nights. Jean Smart won outstanding lead
08:56actress in a comedy series for Hacks at the 2021 Emmys, just six months after losing her husband,
09:03actor Richard Gilliland, who passed away in March of that year. She credited Gilliland with putting his
09:09career on the back burner so she could pursue her acting ambitions.
09:13And my two incredible, unselfish children, Connor and Forrest, who are both very courageous individuals in their own right.
09:26The audience responded with a standing ovation, while her co-star Hannah Einbinder became emotional.
09:32Then the familiar awards show music began playing her off stage. Smart acknowledged the cue with a laugh,
09:38but the moment underscored just how difficult it was to squeeze such enormous gratitude and grief into a few minutes.
09:45I remember playing the music, and I have to stop. I'm so sorry. Thank you all, everybody,
09:50and for working through a pandemic. You're all so creative and brave and wonderful, and I love you all.
09:55I thank you all very much.
09:57Number 14. Joan Rivers finally gets her due. 17th Daytime Emmy Awards.
10:03And the winner is, I'm shaking, Joan Rivers.
10:10By 1990, Joan Rivers had endured more than most people could survive. Her Fox late night show had
10:17been canceled, her finances had collapsed, and in 1987, her husband and manager, Edgar Rosenberg,
10:25had taken his own life. Winning the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host for The Joan Rivers Show
10:31was, by any measure, an extraordinary comeback.
10:34I always had a fantasy, you know, at the child that I'd win one of these, and
10:37I never thought I'd be the soul when the fantasy came true, but here it is.
10:41And I didn't think I was going to win. I'm not being cute. So I have no speech prepared.
10:46She opened with a joke, naturally, about finally fulfilling a childhood dream.
10:50But thanking her staff cracked her open. Rivers wept, telling the audience that just two years earlier,
10:56she hadn't been able to get a single job.
10:59The last two years have been very difficult. Two years ago, I couldn't get a job in this business.
11:04I could not get a job. My income dropped to 1 16th of what it was before I was fired.
11:11She then dedicated the award to Rosenberg, remembering he had been there at the beginning.
11:16It was my husband, Edgar Rosenberg, who always said,
11:18you can turn things around. And except for one terrible moment in a hotel in Philadelphia,
11:25when he forgot that. This is really for him because he was with me from the beginning,
11:30and I'm so sorry.
11:32Number 13, Barbra Streisand Sings You'll Never Walk Alone, 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
11:52The 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards had already been postponed twice before it eventually took place.
11:58September 11th had just happened, and nobody quite knew what a televised award show was supposed to
12:04look like in its aftermath. Then, Barbra Streisand took the stage at the end of the night and answered that
12:11question.
12:25Standing before a wall bearing the names of those killed in the attacks,
12:28she sang Rodgers and Hammerstein's You'll Never Walk Alone, a song about walking through storms rather than around them.
12:36The audience sat in near total silence, many visibly crying. Streisand later said she wanted
12:42to give something back to the country. With this performance, she undoubtedly did.
12:47You'll never walk alone, a song of love.
13:01Walk through the wind, walk through the rain.
13:07Number 12, Jane Lynch Honors Cory Monteith, 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.
13:14It is remarkable and perhaps a little curious how quickly television shows become like families.
13:20This summer, on our show Glee, we suffered a painful death in our family.
13:25Glee actor Cory Monteith died in July 2013 at just 31 years old, and the loss reverberated far beyond the
13:33show's cast.
13:34At that year's Emmy ceremony, the traditional in-memoriam segment was reimagined into individual tributes,
13:40and Jane Lynch was chosen to honor her former co-star personally.
13:44And from the first time you saw Cory, he had a star quality and a genuine sweetness that made it
13:50impossible not to fall in love with him.
13:52And millions did fall in love with Cory.
13:55She spoke about his warmth, his generosity, and an openness that made him genuinely impossible not to love.
14:01She also acknowledged his struggles with substance use disorder, but deliberately refused to let that struggle define his memory.
14:09Cory was a beautiful soul. He was not perfect, which many of us here tonight can relate to.
14:14His death is a tragic reminder of the rapacious, senseless destruction that is brought on by addiction.
14:21Lynch framed Monteith as someone mourned not only for who he was, but for everything he never got to become.
14:27It was tender, honest, and handled with a care that the moment absolutely deserved.
14:32And if you were lucky enough to know Cory as we did, and witnessed first-hand Cory's goofy, breezy sense
14:39of humor,
14:40his natural instinct for inclusiveness, and his unbridled sense of generosity day in and day out,
14:47I promise you'd have loved him even more.
14:56Kate McKinnon is a pro at making us laugh, which is why she won a well-deserved Emmy for
15:01Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2016.
15:05And the Emmy goes to Kate McKinnon.
15:08All right.
15:10But this moment shows she's also great at making us cry.
15:14At the start of her speech, a visibly emotional McKinnon emphasized that she was shedding actual tears.
15:20I am really crying. I'm not making that.
15:23But she managed to keep herself together and deliver a touching tribute to the people
15:27who inspired and believed in her, including her late father.
15:40We cherished Kate McKinnon during her time on Saturday Night Live,
15:44but this speech might be her greatest live television moment so far.
15:54The People vs. O.J. Simpson American Crime Story taught us there was more to this famous true crime
16:00case than we assumed.
16:02You have children?
16:06Two boys.
16:08It also shone a new light on prosecutor Marsha Clark, played brilliantly by Sarah Paulson,
16:13who won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
16:17And the Emmy goes to Sarah Paulson.
16:24In her speech, Paulson spoke about the pressure that comes with playing real-life figures.
16:29She discussed how, while researching Clark, she realized she had previously misjudged her.
16:34The more I had to recognize that I, along with the rest of the world,
16:37had been superficial and careless in my judgment.
16:40And I'm glad to be able to stand here today in front of everyone and tell you I'm sorry.
16:44Clark was in the audience as Paulson's guest of honor,
16:46and you can tell how touched she is by the tribute.
16:49With this speech, Sarah Paulson delivered an Emmy's moment we'll never forget.
16:53Case closed.
17:02Another great chronicle of a shocking case is When They See Us,
17:06a mini-series about the Central Park Five who were falsely convicted of a heinous crime.
17:11Jerrel Jerome won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie,
17:16and his speech was brimming with power.
17:18And the reason I'm here is because of actors like the people I was in the category with.
17:22After recognizing his family and others,
17:25Jerome took a moment to honor the series' subjects, listing them by name.
17:29But most importantly, this is for the men that we know as the Exonerated Five.
17:36It's for Raymond, Yusuf, Antron, Kevin, and King Corey Wise!
17:42The Exonerated Five stood up and offered applause and salutations in return.
17:47Speaking to members of the press backstage,
17:50Jerome talked about how significant their presence at that night's ceremony was.
17:5430 years ago, they were sitting in a prison cell, falsely incarcerated,
17:57and today they're in suits styled by designers at the Emmys.
18:09Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won an incredible eight Emmys and counting for acting,
18:14so there have been plenty of memorable speeches.
18:17This is so much good fortune, it's almost too much to bear.
18:20However, this one is arguably the most touching.
18:23Winning her fifth consecutive Emmy for Veep,
18:26Louis-Dreyfus sounded choked up at the start of her speech.
18:28I'd like to thank HBO, Casey Bloys, Mike Lombardo, and Richard Plepler,
18:33whose friendship has been demonstrated to me in extraordinary ways, particularly this week.
18:39And she ended it by paying homage to her late father.
18:42Lastly, I'd like to dedicate this to my father, William Louis-Dreyfus.
18:47Who passed away on Friday.
18:50And I'm so glad that he liked Veep, because his opinion was the one that really mattered.
18:57It's clear how much Louis-Dreyfus's father meant to her based on her body language alone.
19:02Her speech also had moments of humor expertly woven in.
19:06Our show started out as a political satire, but it now feels more like a sobering documentary.
19:13Just like with seemingly everything else she does,
19:16Julia Louis-Dreyfus can deliver one exceptional speech.
19:25In 2014, actor Tracy Morgan was seriously injured in a vehicular collision,
19:30and underwent an extensive physical rehabilitation process.
19:34I just remember, when I came through, Megan, my fiancee was right there, my son was right there,
19:43and Mark was right there, and Ben was right there, and that's basically what I remember.
19:48The following year, he appeared at the Emmy Awards as a surprise presenter, and received a standing ovation
19:54even before he began speaking. Morgan spoke from the heart about how he made it through this
19:59unimaginably difficult time, and the people who helped him along the way.
20:04Thanks to my amazing doctors, and the support of my family, my beautiful new wife, I'm here.
20:11He also brought in some of his beloved comedic persona, and showed his sense of humor was still intact.
20:17When I finally regained consciousness, I was just ecstatic to learn that I wasn't the one who messed up.
20:25Though Morgan wasn't nominated for any awards, there's no question he was an absolute winner that night.
20:38Robin Williams had passed away just two weeks before the 2014 Emmy ceremony, and we hadn't even begun reeling from
20:46the shock.
20:46However, there was arguably no better person to tribute the late icon than his friend and fellow comedian Billy Crystal.
20:53After Sara Bareilles sang during the In Memoriam segment, Crystal appeared on stage,
20:58and talked about just how much of a legend Williams was.
21:02He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him. On television, movies, nightclubs, arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters for our
21:12troops overseas.
21:14He shared stories about Williams that were both hilarious and heartfelt.
21:18He would sit with my older immigrant relatives, like he was one of the guys,
21:22and he would tell them about his journey from his little shtetl in Poland to America.
21:27Crystal referred to Williams as, quote, the brightest star in the comedy galaxy.
21:32We might not know exactly where that galaxy is, but we do know that this was the perfect way to
21:37honor a legend.
21:39The beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever, and the glow will be so bright,
21:45it'll warm your heart, it'll make your eyes glisten, and you'll think to yourselves,
21:50as well as Robin Williams. What a concept.
21:55Number five, Henry Winkler wins. 70th Primetime Emmy Awards.
22:00Henry Winkler gave us one of the greatest television characters of all time when he played Fonzie on Happy Days.
22:06Hey, shortcake. I want to see a smile on your face, huh? Hey, let's go!
22:12But he didn't win his first Emmy until decades later,
22:15when he won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on the dark comedy Barry.
22:21The room bursts into huge applause as Winkler's name is announced, and his speech earned even further adulation.
22:28Henry Winkler.
22:33It seems like Winkler had been dreaming of this moment for a very long time,
22:38and his speech is lovely from beginning to end, including his adorable tribute to his adult children.
22:43As if we didn't already think Henry Winkler was the coolest.
22:47And the kids, kids, Jed, Zoe, and Max, you can go to bed now. Daddy won!
22:54Number four, Susan Lucci finally wins after 18 losses.
22:5826th Daytime Emmy Awards.
23:01Thank you so very much. I truly never believed that this would happen.
23:07For 18 consecutive years, Susan Lucci heard her name announced as an Emmy nominee without hearing winner.
23:14In 1999, on her 19th nomination for playing Erika Kane in All My Children, that changed.
23:21Presenting the award, Shamar Moore opened the envelope and made a major declaration before saying Lucci's name.
23:28And the outstanding diva is...
23:33The streak is over, Susan Lucci!
23:38She did not immediately realize she had won. Lucci later recalled thinking Moore was announcing a
23:43playoff score because they were at Madison Square Garden.
23:46Rosie O'Donnell grabbed Lucci's evening bag as the room erupted, and Lucci finally understood.
23:53I have so many people to thank and they're telling me to wrap it up. I'm...
24:01She burst into tears before reaching the stage, as did many in the audience and at home.
24:07After nearly two decades, television's most famous losing streak had reached its joyful ending.
24:14But thanks to you, I'm here. And I promise I will try my best never to let you down.
24:20I'm going back to that studio on Monday and I'm gonna play Erika Kane for all she's worth.
24:26Thank you so very much.
24:293. Viola Davis Wins 67th Primetime Emmy Awards
24:33Viola Davis made history when she became the first black actress to win the Emmy for Outstanding
24:39Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
24:41Viola Davis, how to get away with murder.
24:46And her acceptance speech made this already historical moment even more special.
24:51Davis begins by quoting words from Harriet Tubman
24:54that resonate now as much as they did more than a century ago.
24:58She speaks of the need for opportunity for actors of color and moves the crowd and us in the process.
25:05The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.
25:11Davis also attributed other black actresses starring on television series at the time.
25:15And to the Taraji P. Henson's, the Kerry Washington's, the Halle Berry's, the Nicole Beharry's, the Megan Good's, to Gabrielle
25:26Union, thank you for taking us over that line.
25:30This speech, and her victory, truly shows why representation matters.
25:352. Oprah Winfrey's Lifetime Achievement Award 25th Daytime Emmy Awards
25:40If you don't watch the Daytime Emmy Awards, you're missing out on seeing some very moving speeches.
25:46That includes this one, from the queen of daytime herself, Oprah Winfrey.
25:50Receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.
25:53Ladies and gentlemen, the Lifetime Achievement Award to Oprah Winfrey!
26:01Winfrey earned a standing ovation and was wiping away tears before her speech even started.
26:07Speaking over cheers from the audience, Winfrey tributed Barbara Walters, partner Stedman Graham, and others.
26:14Thank you, Gail. Thank you, Maya. Thank you all.
26:17She also spoke about growing up in Mississippi and dreaming of a better future and how blessed she is.
26:23And I want to continue to use television as we become more polarized in this medium.
26:27I choose to use it in whatever way I can, we can, to make people lead better lives.
26:36Oprah Winfrey's influence is immeasurable, and this speech shows why she continues to inspire us.
26:43I thank you for this award because it encourages me to run on and see what the end will be.
26:49Thank you.
26:50Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions.
26:54Cameron Manheim wins 50th Primetime Emmy Awards.
26:58A great moment for body positivity from this practice star.
27:01Especially the four women in my category, I am honored to be counted among you.
27:07This is for all the fat girls.
27:11Patricia Arquette honors her late sister. 71st Primetime Emmy Awards.
27:17Arquette advocated for dignity, opportunity, and protection for transgender people.
27:23In my heart, I'm so sad I lost my sister Alexis.
27:27And that trans people are still being persecuted.
27:31And I'm in mourning every day of my life, Alexis, and I will be the rest of my life
27:37for you until we change the world so that trans people are not persecuted.
27:42Tramiel Tillman thanks his mother. 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
27:47After making history for Severance, Tillman gave the sweetest shout out to his mom.
27:52Mama, you were there for me when no one else was. And no one else would show up.
27:58Your loving kindness stays with me. And this is for you.
28:03Number 1. Fred Rogers Lifetime Achievement Award. 24th Daytime Emmy Awards.
28:09The most touching speech in Emmy's history wasn't delivered by an actor or late night talk show host,
28:14but by a children's television show host.
28:17Fred Rogers, known to countless viewers young and old as Mr. Rogers,
28:21was honored at the 1997 Daytime Emmy Awards with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
28:26So many people have helped me to come to this night.
28:30Some of you are here, some are far away, some are even in heaven.
28:36But in true Rogers fashion, he didn't make it about himself.
28:40He spoke fondly of the people who had brought him to that special moment.
28:44He then made a special request of the audience,
28:46asking that they take a moment to think of someone who inspired them.
28:49Would you just take, along with me,
28:5310 seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are?
29:00To say the crowd is moved is an understatement.
29:03We will always remember Fred Rogers as our favorite neighbor.
29:06And it's been on paper.
29:07And this is a whole other end of EVV female criticism,
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